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These Buttermilk Biscuits are soft, flaky, layers of the most fluffy delicious biscuits ever! Loved for generations, this heirloom southern biscuit recipe only takes three ingredients is simple to make!
Hot, fluffy big buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven. Sometimes, there’s absolutely nothing better! And believe it or not, these could not be any easier to make. Three ingredients, my time-tested biscuit making tips and a little tender loving care…that’s really all it takes to make these iconic southern favorite biscuits. I think it is one of those essential biscuit recipes that most cooks will enjoy having in their recipe collection. And people won’t believe you at first when you to tell them how easy they are to make.
Buttermilk Biscuits
These are the biscuits that I watched my Mama and Grandmother make thousands of times growing up and have made hundreds more times myself. Making these are second nature to me after making them for so many years and the process is super simple, and honestly very relaxing. So I hope some of my tips can help you in your own biscuit-making journey!
Now, while I’m going on and on about how easy they are to make, the ingredients are what really make the magic happen. You will not get the same results if you change the ingredients, in my opinion. So, let’s talk about these simple, yet magical ingredients for just a sec.
The Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit:
- Flour (Self-Rising)
- Shortening
- Buttermilk
- The Flour I Use for My Buttermilk Biscuits
For my biscuits, I prefer to use White Lily® flour. Made of soft winter wheat, this flour is a fine, silky flour that yields a very soft and tender biscuit. I also like it for my homemade pie crust and other baked goods. My grandmother swore by this brand of flour for her baking. I’ll admit I’ve tried other brands for my biscuits and baking. I always get best results with this one. You can use any favorite self-rising flour (or make your own self rising flour). This is just my opinion from baking hundreds, if not thousands of baked goods.
2. Use Shortening
The second ingredient for this magical three ingredient buttermilk biscuit recipe is shortening. Vegetable shortening to be specific.
Shortening lends moisture and flakiness to these buttermilk biscuits that other ingredients just doesn’t provide. While I love butter as much as the next girl, you just won’t get the same results in these biscuits by replacing the shortening with butter.
You’ll cut your shortening into your flour using a pastry blender, two forks or even two knives until the flour and shortening mixture looks like it is coarse meal.
3. Buttermilk
This is the reason these biscuits have the name they do, after all. My Grandmother always taught me to take special care to stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture very gently when making biscuits. Otherwise, if you over-mix your biscuit dough, the result will be tough, dry biscuits and not fluffy, light, and delicious biscuits that we all love.
I then pop my biscuits into a super hot oven, which allows them to quickly rise and turn a beautiful golden brown in just a few minutes.
Tips for How to Make the Best Buttermilk Biscuits:
- Don’t over-mix. I know I said that earlier, but this it deserves mentioning again. Mixing too much can make the biscuit dough tough and and not rise to those beautiful, light biscuits we all love!
- Roll and fold. Roll out the dough and fold into layers. Gently mold the edges and slightly flatten into a rectangle.
- Sharp and straight. Use a sharp-edge biscuit cutter and cut straight down. Don’t twist. Avoid using a cutter with a rounded edge like a glass – it can crimp the dough closed and prevent a good rise.
- Touch. If biscuits touch, they rise a bit higher.
- Space. If biscuits are spaced a bit apart – they show defined, visible layers.
My best advice, is just get in there and make them! They are so easy to make and are going to be delicious if you follow these simple tips and the recipe. But a little practice will result in getting biscuits with all those beautiful layers. Regardless, these are some of the most delicious biscuits you’ve ever tasted!
Just take a look at all these flaky, golden layers!
Here’s the Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit recipe that is definitely one of those essential recipes I turn to time and again.
Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour + more for flouring board and cutter
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening + more for greasing pan
- 3/4 cup buttermik
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475º F. Lightly coat rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet with vegetable shortening. Set aside.
- Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, two forks, or knives until well-combined. Slowly pour in buttermilk and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour biscuit dough onto a floured pastry cloth, paper towels, or dough board. Gently pat or roll to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out biscuits using about a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits into skillet or on baking sheet pan, leaving about an inch between biscuits to allow them to rise and cook fully. Place in preheated oven and bake about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Making these for the 2nd time today because I ate the first batch so quickly! I did make them with a gluten free flour mix and upped the liquid to 1 cup since gf tends to soak up more liquid and they were amazing!!!!
Laura, thanks for the tip for gluten free flour. I’m so glad you loved this recipe!
Made these for breakfast and my husband said they were good! He’s hard to please, so I guess I did a good job! Thanks
I always say if my husband likes something, then it is good to go. Thanks, Donna!
Don’t have self rising flour what and how much do I add to the flour to give the same results?
Pam, you can make your own self-rising flour using the steps in How to Make Self-Rising Flour. I hope this helps.
Even if your recipie is the best in the world it will all be for naught if we cannot save it in Pinterest. Too bad. I certainly would have saved this one for sure!
Lauri, I’m sorry you were not able to pin this recipe but I’m not sure why you couldn’t. I checked and had other people try to pin this recipe and we all could successfully. The Pin button is below the recipe and photo.
I first made this recipe exactly per instructions and it turned out well. Then I became braver and made it with cold grated butter instead of shortening…mmmmm!
Mine did not rise. What did I do wrong?
Brandy, there are several reasons your biscuits did not rise: 1) not using self-rising flour, 2) over-mixing the dough, or 3) twisting the biscuit cutter. I hope this helps.
These are some of the best biscuits I’ve had. Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy to hear you loved these biscuits and will make again, Tanicka. Thanks!